Workshop 1: Research Questions

Welcome to the introductory workshop of our course on evaluating and improving intelligent products, services, and systems (IPSS). This session is designed to provide you with a solid foundation in evaluating technological prototypes through empirical analysis. By the end of this workshop, you will have the tools to critically assess and refine research questions, setting the stage for more effective, data-driven inquiries throughout the course.

The learning goals for this week are:

Formulate Effective Research Questions: You will learn how to critically reflect on the formulation and quality of research questions. We will explore how to craft questions that are specific, answerable, original, and objective, while also requiring detailed analysis. This is a key skill for initiating research that is grounded in empirical evidence, ensuring your questions are neither too broad nor too narrow, but focused, relevant, and impactful.

Assess the Quality of Research Questions: We will delve into the principles of balance, complexity, and analytical depth in research questions. You will gain practical insights into creating questions that are neither too generic nor overly specific, maintaining a clear thematic focus. We’ll also examine how to avoid simple yes/no questions, encouraging you to develop inquiries that require thorough exploration and critical thinking. Finally, you’ll learn how to ensure your questions demand more than just a description of facts, fostering deeper analytical engagement.

Session Plan

  1. Workshop Introduction (Class)

    • Brief overview of the session and discussion on why strong research questions (RQs) are important for design research.

  2. Quality Criteria Introduction (Class)

    • Introduction to the quality criteria used to test developed RQs.

  3. Research Phase (Individual/Group)

    • Opportunity to collate/further research on the assigned design brief.

  4. Creating RQs (Individual/Group)

    • Individually, and as a group, create relevant RQs based on identified research opportunities.

  5. Testing and Iterating on RQs (Individual/Group)

    • Use the introduced quality criteria to evaluate the developed RQs.
    • Further iterate on developed RQs to create a list of relevant questions.

  6. Session Wrap-Up (Class)

    • Summary of the session.

Download Main Template

Download Evaluation Template

Main Template

Main Template

Evaluation Template

Evaluation Template